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University of Colorado DenverFall 2010 DENVER Campus

Welcome message from Chancellor Jerry Wartgow

Valued alumni and friends:

I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as your chancellor. I’m excited to be here not just because of what I believe we can ac-complish together, but also because of what you have already accomplished. With your hard work and support, the UCD Alumni Association has now awarded more than $1 million in schol-arships to students on the Denver Campus. You have called thousands of incoming freshmen over the years to welcome them to campus and calm their fears. You’ve served on boards, volunteered at events and helped the University of Colorado Denver in other ways, large and small.

Two of my initial priorities will be preparations for the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association accreditation visit, scheduled for spring 2011, and the interrelated challenge of addressing serious budgetary issues. We are also eagerly anticipating a system-wide brand campaign, including logos for each campus, to roll out this fall.

I look forward to meeting many of you personal-ly at upcoming alumni events and welcome your ideas, suggestions and observations. My e-mail address is Jerry.Wartgow@ucdenver.edu.

I look forward to working with you during this ex-citing time for the University of Colorado Denver.

Jerry Wartgow,Chancellor

Note: Learn more about the new chancellor and the university’s entire leadership team at www.ucdenver.edu/chancellor

n the basement of the new Auraria Science Building, is a shiny cylinder about 4 feet tall

and 3 feet in diameter. The donated nuclear magnetic resonance instrument is critical

to UCD’s research mission, says Mark Anderson, chair of the chemistry department and

a member of the team that planned the new building and renovation of the old Science

Building. The instrument enables students to determine the structure of complex molecules that are

synthesized in research projects. Until the spring semester, when the new Science Building opened,

“teaching was limited by facility,” Anderson says. Now the 195,000-square foot, four-story structure

provides twice the space for research and teaching labs. For Nicole Dufour, a senior chemistry ma-

jor, the new building is a welcome change. “There is so much more technology and space for bulky

equipment we need, such as for electrochemical research,” she says. “And when we’re in labs, we

don’t have to wait in line for chemicals or bump into each other.” The original Science Building,

adjacent to the new structure, is being renovated to house faculty offices and classrooms. It’s slated for

completion by the end of the fall semester, with occupancy by January 2011.

The University of Colorado Denver, Metropolitan State College of Denver and

the Community College of Denver participated in planning the $121 million

facility; each was assigned its own lab space. “This whole project,” Anderson

says, “is a much more efficient use of space for teaching and learning.”

Auraria Science Building boasts more space for research, learning

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State Rep. Nancy Todd receives 2010 Legislative Award

State Representative Nancy Todd (D-Aurora) is the Colorado State Representative for District 41 and is chair of the State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, as well as a member of the Education Committee. She has served on the interim Health Care Task Force, the Minority Success Task Force for Higher Education, the Workforce Development Council, Governor Owens’ Alignment Council for Education, the Colorado Commission of Higher Education, the Commission for Early Childhood and School Readiness, and the Sub Committee for Preparation and Transition for Governor Ritter’s P-20 Council. Todd currently serves as the vice chair on the standing Education Committee for Council of State Government (CSG West) and as a state director for both Women in Government (WIG) and National Federation of Women Legislators (NFWL).

Todd has been a champion in protecting employee benefit choices for the university system and reducing bureaucracy for faculty and staff. She

has also worked with the university on transferability legislation. For her devoted service to the university, edu-cation and health care in the state, the University of Colorado Denver Alumni Association awarded Nancy Todd the 2010 Legislative Award at commence-ment in May.

Assistant professor awarded Heartland Emmy

David Liban, assistant profes-sor of theatre, film and video production in the College of Arts & Media, has won a Heartland Emmy® Award from the Heartland Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Liban garnered the award in the Documentary-Cultural category for his moving original film on death and dying, Mortal Lessons, which he produced, directed and edited.

Regents endorse Buechner Institute for Governance

The University of Colorado Board of Regents voted in Apr i l to ap-prove the creation of the Buechner I n s t i t u t e f o r Governance at the School of Public Af-fairs (SPA). The institute is named for John Buechner, former CU president and SPA faculty member, who is an ex-pert on local government in Colorado.

The institute will house several of the school’s centers for applied public policy and will work with state and local governments in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West to enhance policymaking and improve public administration. SPA Dean Paul Teske says he is excited about the opportunity that the institute presents to expand the school’s programs, which focus on education, the environment, health care, regional governance and public finance.

UCD and partners launch pilot urban agriculture program

This spring two elementary schools not only received a renovated school-yard, called a learning landscape, but also an urban farm. The University of Colorado Denver, Denver Public Schools (DPS), COPA (the voice of organic

agriculture in Colorado) and Sprout City Farms worked together to launch a first-ever pilot urban agricul-ture program at McGlone Elementary and Bradley Elementary.

As additional sup-port, DPS has been awarded a Kellogg grant that will

provide funding to build outdoor learning

labs and

greenhouses, which will extend the growing season. Produce grown at the school farms is sold both to the school cafeterias (thereby providing fresh low cost organic produce) and at local farmers’ markets.

Hats off to Heller: Alumni director retires, leaving legacy

This summer, Director of Alumni Relations Carol Heller retired after 21 years of service to the university and its alumni. Heller’s legacy includes an alumni scholarship fund of more than $880,000 and $1 million paid out in scholarships to students. (Read more on page 9.) She was ever present at alumni events, including 20 Rock Bottom Ruckuses and almost as many National Western Stock Shows.

“We will miss Carol very much,” says Jack Gilbraith, BS geology ’82, past president of the Alumni Association Board of Directors. “Her enthusiasm brought momentum to alumni programs and events over the years. We’ve come a long way, and Carol deserves a lot of credit for that.”

State Rep. Nancy Todd poses with CU President Bruce Benson and CU Regent Stephen Ludwig at commencement, where she received the Alumni Association’s 2010 Legislative Award.

Owen Kortz, voice faculty at the College of Arts & Media, played for alumni of all CU’s campuses during

An Evening at the Denver Botanic Gardens on Friday, July 30.

Volume 21, Issue 2

is published twice annually for alumni and friends of the University of Colorado Denver by the Office of Alumni Relations.

UCD Alumni RelationsCampus Box 189P.O. Box 173364Denver, CO 80217-3364

The alumni office is located at 1380 Lawrence Street, Suite 1300303-315-2333E-mail: UCDalumni@ucdenver.edu

Editorial Management: Deanna GeldensCreative Direction: Micheline Heckler

Writing: Linda Castrone, Diane Carman, Julia Cummings, Deanna Geldens, David Kelley, Mary Lemma, Lisa Marshall, Leslie Petrovski

Editing: Carol Heller, Deanna Geldens, Julie Koeppe, Julie Mullin

Design and Production: Stevinson Design

Photography: Casey Cass (CU Boulder), Bill Chronin, Cherrey Visual Solutions, Michael Ensminger, Ray Ng Photography, Ekaterini (Kat) Vlahos

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The College of Engineering and Applied Science welcomed Marc Ingber to the helm on July 8. Dean Ingber immediately began meeting with faculty, staff and administra-tive groups to de-velop an understand-ing of UCD’s unique structure and some of its history. He was attracted to his new position because of the strengths of the college and the great potential for future growth.

“We are well ahead of the curve with our Center for Sustainable Urban Infrastructure and our NSF-funded IGERT graduate training program,” says Ingber. “We have just launched our new Department of Bioengineering, which will provide a model of connecting education and research between our Denver Campus and the Anschutz Medical Campus.”

“We have strong research and educational pro-grams in biophotonics, biomedical imaging and devices, applied mechanics, sports equipment, energy and power systems, high-performance computing, software engineering, sustainability and green engineering, to name a few.”

He is also proud of the college’s new website, http://engineering.ucdenver.edu, which includes a page specifically for engineer-ing alumni (including links to Facebook and LinkedIn groups).

Dean Ingber’s administrative approach is one of inclusiveness. He is looking forward to working with the college’s many constituencies in the coming years to help build world-class teaching, research and service programs.

For the last three years, Ingber has served as a program director at the National Science Foundation in the Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems Division. He has significant academic experience both at the University of New Mexico and Iowa State University and has held administrative positions both as a department chair and center director. His principle research interests include multi-phase fluid mechanics, functionally graded and composite materials, carbon dioxide sequestra-tion and high performance computing.

at Molholm Elementary

in Lakewood, where

Alexandria Ralat, BA psychology ’96, MA cur-

riculum and instruction ’99, is a sixth-grade teacher, at least 1 in 10 students is homeless. Other school families are living below pov-erty level. “My classroom is a micro-cosm of the community in which I teach,” says Ralat. “We are a mixed populace that emulates the real world. The kids are a blessing to my soul, and we are all in it together … we are like family.”

In March 2009, she and her hus-band launched the nonprofit food pantry Feeding Minds-Enriching Lives (http://

www.feedingmindsfoodpantry.

org). This decision came easily to Ralat. “Sometimes I feel like a mother bird looking after her children. When I see children who are hungry, it makes perfect common sense to feed them. It’s not rocket science,” says Ralat. The caregiver mentality runs in her genes. “My mom used to feed everyone on my block when I was growing up. And she was the ‘snack mom’ during my preschool years.” She says that her hungry students can’t survive on the federally assisted school breakfast and lunch programs alone. “Their growing bodies need healthy snacks and a good dinner. Grades and test scores go up when they have an adequate amount to eat.”

Ralat has made the news in the past year for the spectacular efforts she is making to feed the hungry students at Molholm. People magazine even covered her story and called her a “hero among us.”

Every Friday, Ralat and her student volunteers give out boxes of groceries to 51 families who have applied for help. Ralat has found support through caring individual donors, the Food Bank of the Rockies, local churches, supermarkets and farmers. Resources are always thin and “hunger has no season,” she says. “We’re always in need of donations, be it money for the food pantry, school supplies, clothing, personal care items

for the students, gift certificates to thrift shops or bookstores, crafts or children’s magazines. We are also looking for indi-viduals who would like to donate their time to be guest speakers and share their talents during class, including musicians, knitters, gardeners and artists. We put all donations to good use. It’s all about

making compassionate new friends who want to help the children.”

Editor’s Note: The School of Education & Human Development will be supporting and volunteering for the Feeding Minds-Enriching Lives food pantry in the coming year. For more information, e-mail aralat@jeffco.k12.co.us.

Engineering: New dean pleased with state of collegeTeacher has big heart for hungry students

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hat if a young Penguin, the beaky villain from Batman, were set up on a blind date with

Mary Poppins?That’s the premise behind the

3D animated short, A Complex Villainelle, produced by the 2010 graduating class of the College of Arts & Media’s Digital Animation Center (DAC). The film is based on author Jonathan Goldstein’s short story, “The Penguin Goes a Courting,” which DAC faculty member Howard Cook had heard on NPR’s radio show, “This American Life.”

Tucking away this tale about the two umbrella-enabled characters in their youth, Cook presented it as the “assignment” in the three-semester lab required of all digital animation students to graduate. Structured to mimic a professional animation studio environment, the lab gets students to work collaboratively using the same technologies major studios use when making films such as Shrek or Toy Story.

“We know of only one other school in the world that does a large-scale production like this and that’s BYU,” Cook explains. “Most schools feel the senior short should be completed by individuals or small teams of two or three. That’s not the way it works. You’re missing the most important aspect of understanding this business. It’s an art form, but it’s a collaborative art form and it takes many people to do it.”

The seven-minute, 35-second film, which is comprised of 10,460 frames (excluding credits), took 20 students and three faculty direc-tors—Cook, along with Paul Connor and Tripp Vroman—18 months and thousands of man hours to make (“we lost count after 12,000,” Cook says).

“People think that with digital animation, the computer does the work for you,” says senior Rebecca Forth, who served as the film’s post-production director. “It’s almost as much work as hand-drawn animation.”

Narrated by Jonathan Goldstein, BA economics ’08, A Complex Villainelle is the story of a dinner party in which the eccentric Penguin and an intrepid Mary Poppins meet with mixed results and discuss bumbershoot travel. It has been selected for at least nine film festivals, in-cluding the Crystal Palace International Film Festival, where it is a finalist for a best-in-festival “Transmitter” award, and AniMazing Spotlight, an online festival, where it won the site’s award for the third quarter.

“This was an incredibly good capstone course,” says Bart Ovaitt, BFA ’10, production director for the film, who started a 3D corporate animation business with fellow alum Billy Foster, BFA ’10. “We were in this production environment where we had to work with so many other artists and technical artists and directors telling you what to do. It got me to the point where I’m pretty confident.”

“This really teaches you every aspect of 3D animation and to specialize in what you’re good at,” says Forth, who interned at Disney. “Here you’ll find your niche in the industry and get a massive amount of work for your portfolio and demo reel for prospective employers.”

To view the film, visit acomplex

villainelle.com.

Arts & Media: Digital short helps students find their niche

w“...find your niche in the industry and get a massive amount of work for your portfolio and demo reel for prospective employers.”

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Don’t lose track of your friends and classmates. Send us an alumni note and keep everyone updated.

Don’t have an envelope? Send your note through our online community, www.cudenveralumni.com.

NAME

ADDRESS

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TELEPHONE (DAY) TELEPHONE (EVENING)

E-MAIL

MAJOR GRADUATION YEAR

NEWS

Stay involved!I’d like to join other alumni by: Selectingalumniawardrecipients Assistingwithcommencement Workingonlegislativeissuesasa

CUAmbassador Volunteeringforspecialevents Providinginformationaboutmy

careerfieldtostudentsandalumni Selectingscholarshiprecipients Raisingfundsforscholarships Callingandwelcomingnewstudents

Submit to: UCD Alumni Relations,CampusBox189,P.O.Box173364,Denver,CO80217-3364or e-mail the information above to UCDalumni@ucdenver.edu

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Stephan Hall, Amanda Jeter, Kourtnie Harris and Brian Stuhr worked with the Denver Arts District to create an exchibit for the city’s 2010 Biennial of the America’s celebration.

manda Jeter, MLA ’10, is well aware that these are difficult economic times, but she also knows that

landscape architects who thrive have to get creative. “In these tough times you have to research more and try to be positive,” she says, “and you’ve got to find your niche.” Jeter, 33, is off to a good start, earning top grades and awards while in school and unusual opportunities after graduating.

While still in their second year of school, she and three classmates founded a firm called DESIGN4, and after gradu-ation they’re pursuing it from bases in Denver, Colorado Springs, Seattle and Hawaii. Jeter spent her summer as an intern at Rocky Mountain National Park, assessing buildings and trailheads for their accessibility to people with disabilities. And in July, she and the firm partnered with the Denver Art District on Santa Fe to create, as part of the city’s 2010 Biennial of the Americas celebration, an exploration of the role trees play in our cities’ streetscapes.

Jeter views her civic and public jobs as steppingstones to a robust career in sustainable planning and design, with an emphasis on larger community projects. She got her feet wet at UCD while studying ways to remediate the environmental damage at quarries in Marble and steel mills

in Pueblo, designing paths at Marble so tourists could experience the site and finding ways in Pueblo to reclaim the mill’s postindustrial landscape for community use.

She seeks projects that engage communities in the process of imagining what their environments could become and then helps them find the grants to pay for the projects. “The Secret Life of Trees” installation is an example, using recycled sculptures to educate people about the plight of badly planted and poorly maintained street trees. In the process, partners met other grass roots community activists and architects with offices on Santa Fe Drive. That’s the kind of collaboration and investment of time Jeter hopes will pay off in the future. “In this economy, relationships and networks are important,” she says, as are volunteering, entering competitions and getting audiences for her designs.

Jeter relied on that same entrepre-neurial spirit at UCD, where she founded and co-edited a student publication called ROOT, earned the college’s Alumni Association Graduate Scholarship and twice was nominated for the Olmsted Scholar award.

“We’d all prefer to graduate and have permanent jobs, but as they say, necessity is the mother of invention.”

Architecture: Sidestepping a tough economy: MLA grad gets creative

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Liberal Arts and Sciences: Serious student then, serious purpose now

fter graduating from UCD’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences with a biol-ogy degree in 1976 and

working in a pulmonary medicine lab at the CU Health Sci-ences Center, David Lacey enrolled in medical school very focused.

He chose the University of Colorado Denver for its convenience, and he relished UCD for its seriousness of purpose.

“It was a place where people were focused, with a significant level of direc-tion, and that enhanced the classroom experience,” Lacey explains.

Lacey discovered his passion for biomedical research and bone biology during his years in medical school at CU. “I found exploring the unexplored with a hypothesis and scientific tools in hand so invigorating,” he says. “I knew this was what I wanted to do.”

Lacey’s interest in scientific inquiry continued at Washington University, where he pursued NIH-funded research in bone cell biology, which set the stage for his later work at Amgen, a Fortune 500 biotechnology company.

Today, Lacey is senior vice president of Amgen Discovery Research, oversee-ing some 150 programs at various stages of development in the therapeutic areas of hematology/oncology, inflammation, metabolic disorders, chemistry, protein science and neuroscience.

“I’ve been lucky enough to have had the chance to engage in exciting, cutting-edge research during my career, working on the discovery of a medicine that I hope will make a big difference in millions of people’s lives,” he says. “That’s a calling that started back at the University of Colorado.”

Lacey now feels that it’s his time to give back. Having raised a son with cerebral palsy, he and his wife, Nancy, are endowing UCD’s first scholarship for undergraduates with disabilities. They selected UCD not only because it’s Lacey’s alma mater, but for its accessible mass transit system, which enables students who don’t drive to get to school.

“We wanted to alleviate some of the financial pressures for people with dis-abilities who are resource-constrained, removing a barrier to pursuing an educa-tion,” Lacey says. “I’m grateful for the education I received at UCD—it created the foundation for everything I’ve been able to do as a scientist and in life. That’s the purpose of higher learning, and the reason for this scholarship.”

In March, the University of Colorado Board of Regents voted to confer upon Lacey an honorary degree in science. Lacey will receive his degree at UCD’s fall commencement ceremony in December.

David Lacey, senior vice president of Amgen Discovery Research.

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i Education: Addressing autism in unlikely places

t was December 2006 when Laurie Sperry re-ceived a phone call that would transform her ca-

reer and change the lives of dozens of autistic children living in a crowded, impoverished country 8,000 miles away. It came from a man she’d never met and led to an outcome she never imagined.

“It was just one of those wonderful, serendipitous events,” explains Sperry, an autism researcher and assistant clinical professor in UCD’s School of Education & Human Development.

Sperry was the director of the Professional Development and Autism Center—a multi-university collaborative aimed at helping U.S. schools better serve students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)—when she got the request that, at first, seemed contrary to her professional goals: The caller was a wealthy businessman of Indian descent, looking for a seasoned expert to travel to Singapore to work one-on-one with his teenage son with autism. Sperry had spent most of her career working to assure that all children with ASD, regardless of their financial means, could get high quality, evidence-based care in a group setting.

“At first, I was resistant. I told him ‘I don’t really work with individuals. I’m more interested in assuring that everyone has access,’” she recalls, noting that her lifelong dream has been to start a school in a developing country.

His response: “He said if I worked with his son, he could help me realize that dream.”

Fast forward to October 2007 when the ASHA Integrated School for Children with ASD opened its doors in the bustling city of Bangalore, India. Today, the school is thriving, with 10 devoted local teachers, 35 students, and big plans for the future. Sperry’s unexpected benefactor (who prefers to remain anonymous) has donated a vacant office building, her travel expenses, teacher salaries and other support until the school can become financially self-sustaining. Meanwhile, Sperry and UCD colleague Katie Wells have traveled to India eight times to provide high-caliber, evidence-based autism education training in a country where youth with ASD face a paucity of options and are often kept at home.

“We were truly there to create a system, not to run the show,” stresses Wells, who is now director of the PDA Center and specializes in helping classrooms become more inclusive of kids with ASD. “At the end of the day, our goal was to make them in charge of their own school.”

Step one was to determine how to transform a donated two-story office building into a comfortable learning environment. (Stiff office chairs were replaced by decorative floor mats, and meeting rooms were transformed into classrooms, playrooms and lunch areas). Then, Sperry and Wells sought out Indian teachers with a keen interest in ASD, devised a program gleaned from cutting-edge practices used in the United States and began training in a classroom far less cozy than the ones back home.

“We’d be sitting in an un-air-conditioned room in 110-degree heat and there might be someone burning rubbish or tires outside the window, but these teachers were so hungry for knowledge they just sat there with rapt attention,” says Sperry, inspired.

Today, parents arrive with their children via hired rickshaws, buses or on foot—many traveling for hours each way to give their children the opportunity for an education.

Inside, students ages 3 to 9 not only receive one-on-one attention aimed at boosting their social and communication skills, but also get plenty of chances to try out those skills on their newfound peers via group stories, games and songs.

“We taught them that you can do many of the same things with kids with autism that you can do in a regular classroom,” says Wells. “It doesn’t have to only be special programming.”

Ultimately, the school’s creators hope to mix typically-abled children and children with ADS together, a practice shown in the United States to benefit both. The school is also working hard to break prevailing stereotypes about autism in India through community presentations, parent workshops

and a new documentary called “Hope” now available on YouTube.

“Lack of awareness and misunder-standing about ASD is a huge challenge that professionals and parents are facing here,” says school Director Poonam Shetty, noting that autism is not a legally recog-nized and protected disability in India. “We are fighting hard to change that.”

As for Sperry’s initial commitment to the generous stranger who called her four years ago: She visits his son every few months in Singapore and hosts weekly Skype calls with him to this day. “He’s one of my favorite people in the entire world—one of the lights of my life,” she says.

And her serendipitous experience in India has also led to other, similar projects around the globe. In June, Sperry packed her bags and moved to Australia, where she will spend the next three years working to bolster services for children with ASD in the country’s most remote hinterlands.

“It has turned out to be a great situation all around for all of us,” she says. “I’m eternally grateful.”

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Business: Training the next generation of leaders in energy

or more than a decade, g e o l o g i s t J e s s i c a Cavens scoured Colo-rado for new and acces-

sible sources of energy. But the more she learned

about the business of energy explora-tion, the more she wanted to be in on the decision making behind it.

“In order to be a better geologist it behooves you to understand the business side of things so you are not so biased in your technical view,” she says.

Her timing was perfect. Not only was the industry hurting for new leader-ship—experts say 50% of major energy companies will lose top managers in the next five years—but there was a new program offering what she wanted with the flexibility she needed.

Last January she enrolled in the Business School’s Global Energy Management or GEM program, a unique 18-month curriculum that held its first graduation on June 19. GEM was designed in conjunction with business leaders and taught by those with experi-ence in all aspects of the energy industry including renewable resources like wind and solar. Graduates earn a master of science in global energy management.

Mike Miller, who has worldwide energy experience and holds an MBA

from Harvard Business School, teaches a renewable energy management class providing skills students will need to lead companies in the future.

“We are finding that more and more students are taking the GEM program to help transition into renewable energy,” he says. “The younger generation is more sensitive to environmental concerns and wants to be on the leading edge of the new energy economy. There is a major transition toward renewable taking place that will take two or three decades to play out.”

Miller designed a syllabus which includes 10 real world cases where CEOs dealt with often controversial issues, like placing wind turbines off Cape Cod.

“The students are placed in the role of the CEO and must come up with clear decisions and strategies,” he says,

noting that students are also taught to raise funds and manage stakeholders.

GEM appeals to students not only for its hands-on curriculum but also its flexibility. Cavens had a 2-year-old daughter and was pregnant with another when she enrolled. “The flexibility offered by the classroom and online curriculum was critical to me,” she says. “That hybrid delivery system was probably one of the best designs of the course.”

Not that it was easy. Cavens, 35, held down a job at

Encana Oil & Gas while attending class on days off and weekends.

“The class you start with is the class you finish with,” she says. “It really allowed you to bond with your classmates.”

Like others in her class, Cavens’ em-ployer paid her tuition. Many students are mid-career, energy professionals whose companies pay for an education they feel gives them a competitive edge.

“Our graduates possess the skills necessary to lead energy companies now and in the uncertain future,” says John Turner, executive director of the GEM program. “This is crucial considering the many challenges this industry is presently facing.”

“The younger generation is more sensitive to environmental concerns and wants to be on the leading edge of the new energy economy.”

Matthew Vanderschuere, MPA ’09, completed most of the coursework for his degree deep underground. Stationed at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyo., Vanderschuere monitored up to 50 intercon-tinental ballistic missiles as a “missileer,” and was one of 10 people responsible for evaluat-ing more than 200 other missileers assigned to the base.

“I’m one of the few who represent the final line of U.S. deterrence policy and am responsible to execute a part of the nation’s nuclear ICBM force,” he says.

Since there’s been no need to use these weapons, his 24-hour shifts in the underground bunker provided plenty of time to work on his master’s degree.

“It’s kind of quiet,” the he says, “so it’s condu-cive to working on a graduate program. Most of my fellow students had no idea I was posting online responses from deep underground in Nebraska and Wyoming.”

“Since Cheyenne is only an hour and a half away, I was able to take advantage of weekend courses combined with online classes to feel more involved with the school,” he says.

Vanderschuere did his capstone on how to improve regulations, motivation and the organiza-tional culture of the missile unit in which he works.

“My capstone attempted to bridge the gap between orders coming from the Pentagon and implementation at the base,” he says. Several of the ideas presented in his capstone for stream-lining daily operations and improving morale were implemented by his supervisors.

Captain Vanderschuere is now a flight command-er in the 320th Missile Squadron. He is in charge of two missile alert facilities, 20 intercontinental ballistic missiles and about 30 personnel. He plans to begin working on his PhD in public administration in about a year when he fulfills his commitment to the Air Force. His ultimate goal is to teach.

Public Affairs:Making the most of a military career

GEM Class of 2010

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Partnering to support student scholarships

every year the

University of Colorado Den-ve r A lumni

Association is fortunate to have the support of many corporations and individuals.

Our special thanks to the Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery (Downtown Denver) for their continued, generous support.

Our thanks are also ex-tended to the following for their financial support in 2009–2010:

DONORS$10,000 and aboveBank of AmericaFirstBankLiberty Mutual/Collegiate

Insurance ResourcesRock Bottom Restaurant &

Brewery, Downtown Denver

$5,000–$9,999Public Service Credit UnionJack Gilbraith and Barbara

Ganong

$1,000–$4,999Tom and Claire BrownDenton and Brooke CroftsRandy and Carol HellerGedeon LaFarge and Eleanor

HarrisonLaFarge Architects LLCGeorgia Lesh-LaurieRobert and Lola SalazarMark VappiWeitz Company, Inc.

$500–$999Dave and Victoria HenryCatherine KaledoRichard and Lu KoeppeJanalee McDonaldKen and Diane MessamoreKathleen MyersWorld Wide Rental

$100–$499Fred and Terrie BarosPaul and Polly BartlettRobert and Mariya Bobo

Laurel BrunsMelisa CarpenterNancy CarpenterDave and Sue CarterTom and Heather ChikooreTae ChoMichael CintronJim and Mary Jo CollinsRonald CookMichael DeSanctisShannon DoyleLarry and Phyllis FarlowKimberly FixFred Fowler and Marilyn

MattsonLynn FritzRavinder GoyalDennis GraserJim and Louise GundersonJim and Mary HagemanPaul and Lauri HarrisonDan Howard and Jenifer

LichtenfelsKim and Tina HuberMike and Ani HulsePeter HynesKevin and Susie JacobsMichael Johnston and Paula

RobinsonSteve and Terri KindsfatherAl and Roberta KnottKathryn LansinkSusan LewisElizabeth LongRebecca LongBonita ManleyVictor and Olimpia MarroquinJim Matheson and Mary Lou

GoldenFrances McDonaldTheresa MenardStephen MooreJulie MullinJessica OsborneMatt and Amy PalcsoJung and Alexis ParkJeff ParkerErica PonceRandy Richmond and Jennifer

Trotta RichmondSafeway, Inc.Robert and Cindy ShaimanShannon SheaffYilan ShenDan SillersKimberly StraithCindy SutfinGloria ThomasJames and Ramona Villarreal

Peter Webb and Ginny WilliamsDonald and Karen WhiteAaron and Angela Wishon

Up to $99Cindy AndersonYvonne AtkinsPhyllis AryBetsy BakerDaniel BushNancy ChrisbaumPhoebe ColemanDeborah CondoRebecca DavisSteve and Lori EslaryHolly FrenchPaul HudgensMary Ellen LewisKatie McEnaneyWilliam Ray MooreCatherine OrtenLindsay PrimeSusan PutlandJason RegierJennifer SchaeferArezou SeifpourToni SerraLydia SfeirAlethea SmockNancy Steinfurth

SILeNT AUCTION DONORSA1 BoxingAbloom, Inc.Adornable DesignAdvanced Laser and Skin Care

ClinicAltitude AuthenticsAramark CorporationArbonneArgonaut Wine & Liquor StoreArrowhead Golf ClubArvada CenterHarold BaerChristopher BeikmannBombay BowlBonacquisti Wine CompanyBreckenridge BreweryBreckenridge Brewery and

BarbequeThe Broker RestaurantBrown Palace HotelBuckhorn ExchangeBuntport Theater ProductionJean BurrButterfly PavilionCanvas and CocktailsMelisa Carpenter

Centerstage Starz Theatre and Dance Studio

Betsy CheroutesCilantro FusionColorado Frame CompanyCongratsFromColorado.comGrady Cope and Anne

Stilson-CopeCorePower YogaCru Vin Dogs Wine GroupLynn CulpJohn and Anne DaleDaniel’s of ParisDenver Botanic GardensDenver Marriott City CenterDenver ZooDithyramb WineryDivino WineDooney and BourkeDowntown AquariumCatherine EgleElegant CateringElizabeth Lindsay CreationsFirstBank of ColoradoFishy FishyFlirt SalonFruition RestaurantGamma Two RoboticsGift Basket JunctionJack Gilbraith and Barbara

GanongBetsy GillAngela GoodteacherCharlene HarlowDave and Vicky HenryTonya HillHolistic Herbal HealthHornbeam FurnitureHyatt Regency Denver at

Colorado Convention CenterInfinite Time Solutions LLCThe Inverness Hotel and

Conference CenterIva Lou’s Wellness SeminarsNadine KarallAllison KowalchikKristin White JewelryRimma KrivenkovL’Asie Fusion BistroGedeon LaFarge and Eleanor

HarrisonLarimer SquareLola’s Sugar RushCatherine LoveLovely ConfectionsVictor MarroquinMcCormick & Schmick’s

Seafood RestaurantKen and Diane Messamore

MetroBoomMichael Collins Pipes and

DrumsMile High Bison CompanyMichael MooreMoritz TitleMorton’s Steakhouse (Tech

Center)Kathleen MyersNewberry Brothers Greenhouse

& FloristKaren and Steve NiparkoLynn NoguchiOmni Interlocken Golf ClubOpus RestaurantJessica OsborneThe Palm RestaurantParadise Bakery & CaféPearl Street GrillGreg and Sandra PerkinPet StationPF Chang’s China BistroPierce Family WellnessProCorp Images, Inc.Susan PutlandRepublic ShoesRocky Mountain Krav Maga &

CrossFitRoot DownSaddleback Golf ClubSafeway, Inc.Sanitas Skin CareLourdes SchmidtTheresa SharkeySnooze: An A.M. EaterySource Sustainable Business

StrategiesSpices CaféJane StanfieldStella’s Coffee HouseKimberly StraithSunshine Carpet CareThe Tea RoseTee & CakesThe Tended ThicketTown Hall Arts CenterUCD Career ServicesMichael R. VigilVitamin Cottage Natural Food

Markets, Inc.Michael WeissMisty WinklerWorldwide Rental Services

9

Alumni scholarship fund tops $1 million milestone

t a reception in August, the Alumni Associa-tion gave more than $118,000 in scholar-

ship funds to 41 students on the Denver Campus. Added to the funds disbursed over the years, this amount pushed the grand total for scholarships distributed to students over the $1 million mark.

“This is an amazing year to be leading the scholarship committee,” says Denton Crofts, MBA ’03. “A million dollars is no small feat—especially to the students who have received the money.”

“It’s taken 20 years to reach this milestone,” says Carol Heller, who retired this summer after 21 years as director of alumni relations, “and we couldn’t have done it without a dedicated alumni board, volunteers, corporate sponsors and individual donors. They’re an amazing group of people.”

The primary scholarship fundraising event for the Denver Campus is the Rock Bottom Ruckus dinner and auction in February. The 2010 celebration marked the 20th year for that event, which would not be possible without the dedication and generosity of the Rock

Bottom Restaurant and Brewery at 16th and Curtis Streets downtown.

“Alumni just love to come to the Rock Bottom Ruckus,” says former

Chancellor Georgia Lesh-Laurie, who has served for years on the alumni board. “It’s such a great cause and so much fun. And the students are so deserving of the scholarships. Nobody loses!”

Another important source for scholarship funds has been our corporate partners. FirstBank of Colorado, Public Service Credit Union, Liberty Mutual, Bank of America and College Invest have sponsored named scholarships over the years. Page 8 of this issue lists all the corporate and individual donors who contributed this year.

Senior international studies major Josiah Albertsen was a Liberty Mutual scholar for two years and received a general alumni scholarship this year. “My wife had graduated from college three or four years before I started. Neither of us looked forward to endur-ing the college lifestyle again,” he says. “Although I work 40-hour weeks, I

know books, supplies and tuition are taken care of. The scholarships have allowed us to continue to live our lives.”

For Albertsen, the alumni scholar-ship experience extended directly to a career. “As scholarship recipients, they ask us to volunteer during the year, and I really felt like I owed that to them,” he says. “I worked the phone-a-thon and spent a couple of hours with Alumni Association board member Rex emery

[BS ’03]. He offered me an internship with his financial services company. Now I’m a fully licensed financial advisor.” Albertsen will graduate in May 2011.

“Scholarships are important to students for different reasons,” says Crofts. “For some, it’s the only way they can afford to go to school. For others, it’s the relief they need to push through to the finish. Having that kind of impact is very rewarding.”

Liberty Mutual representative Kim Cohen (front left) and Public Service Credit Union representative Richard Pettis (front right) pose for pictures with graduate and undergraduate student scholars.

At the scholarship reception held August 14, 41 UCD students received more than $118,000 in scholarship disbursements—bringing the grand total for Alumni Association scholarships distributed above the $1 million mark.

a

Alumni scholarship committee members and volunteers: (Back from left) Scholarship Chair Denton Crofts,

Jim Matheson, Jack Galbraith, Mark Vappi, James Villarreal, Gloria Thomas (front from left) Cindy Anderson, Emily King,

Cathy Kaledo and Kimberly Straith.

ave Baker graduated from UCD’s Business School on a Saturday in 1982. The following

Monday, he started work as a management trainee at FirstBank Holding Company. He has been dedi-cated to both organizations ever since.

In 1987, Baker became president of FirstBank of Denver and, during the next 20 years, he held several other high-level positions throughout the organization. In 1999, he was elected executive vice president of FirstBank Holding Company and in 2005 became its chief operating officer.

Through the years, Baker survived Denver’s economic downturn in the 1980s and chaired the Colorado Bankers Association during the meltdown of 2008. He still serves on the board.

With so many banks being con-sumed by other banks, many of them out of the country, the Colorado-headquartered FirstBank has not only endured—keeping its name all the while—but thrived as competition has gone from local to global, Baker says.

“We’re competing against the best minds in the industry, and we hire the majority of our talent from Colorado, so it’s really important that we have good schools here that graduate top-quality people. We recruit heavily from UCD.”

With record demand for educa-tion—many people who are out of work are retooling—“it’s a very important time for the Business School,” Baker notes.

“There are also funding challenges for education. It makes for an interest-ing formula.” FirstBank does their part to support the cause, donating $10,000 the past two years as a sponsor of the Alumni Association’s Rock Bottom

Ruckus, an event that raises money for UCD student scholarships.

Baker has committed time and talent to many civic organizations, serv-ing on the boards of Mile High United Way, the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and the Jefferson Foundation. He has been past board chairman of Rocky Mountain Junior Achievement and the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado (Boulder).

He won’t pick favorites, but be-ing chairman of the Business School Advisory Board is close to Baker’s heart. The board provides input to the college, helps with fundraising and serves on task forces. Baker also guest teaches a class in marketing; something he says he really enjoys.

For his dedication to Colorado and its economic vitality, his firm conviction that UCD can provide talent needed to keep the state’s business economy thriving, and his consistent support of the alumni association scholarship program, Baker will receive the UC Denver Alumni Recognition award at the school’s fall commencement ceremony in December.

To nominate someone for an award, contact the Office of Alumni Relations, 303-315-2333, or visit www.ucdenver.

edu/alumniawards.

10

ALUMNI ASSoCiAtion BENEfITSAlumni Online Communitywww.cudenveralumni.com• Receive periodic e-newsletters and updates

from the school or college you attended• Search for former classmates in the

online directory• Upload pictures and class notes• Register for Alumni Association events

CU Ambassadors Program303-831-6192 cuambassadors@cu.edu orwww.cu.edu/cuambassadors• This voluntary group of Colorado residents

advocates with the Colorado General Assembly for CU and higher education

• All communication is via e-mail including legislative updates, notices of CU outreach events and timely messages from the CU president

Career Center303-556-2250www.ucdenver.edu/careercenter• Services are free for the first year after

graduation; reduced rates thereafter. • Access to databases and job postings• Career counseling and job-search coaching• Career exploration and transitions• Resume assistance

CU License Plates303-315-2333www.ucdenver.edu/licenseplates• Cost includes a mandatory $50

donation to the Alumni Scholarship Fund• CU plates may be purchased upon completion

of an application and receipt of an approval certificate from the Alumni Association

• An additional $50 county clerk fee and your standard vehicle registration fees are applicable

d

Grown locally, competing globally

financial Serviceswww.ucdenver.edu/ downtownalumni/benefits BaNkiNg• Checking, money market accounts,

CDs and IRAs• Auto and mortgage loans

and HELOC • Home banking and bill pay • Branches throughout the

metro area

HEaltH/DENtal• Short-term health insurance program for

graduates that bridges the gap between student health insurance and employer coverage; also for alumni with short- term needs

• Comprehensive, renewable major medical coverage

• Supplemental major medical insurance for catastrophic medical expenses

• Long-term care insurance• Group dental insurance

auto/HomE• Group discount of 10 percent on auto,

home and renter’s insurance• Rates guaranteed for 12 months• Additional savings based on age,

driving experience and auto equipment (e.g. antilock brakes)

• Round-the-clock claims service

Campus Recreation303-556-3210 www.mscd.edu• Enhance your level of fitness at the Campus

Recreation Center for $100 per semester

www.ucdenver.edu/downtownalumni/benefits

After orientation in July, Alumni Association board members pose for pictures at the historic 9th Street Park on the Auraria Campus.

11

Alumni…

submit your class note online www.ucdenver.edu/classnotes

Zuhair Fayez, BArch ’70, MArch ’71, was awarded an honorary doctorate of hu-mane letters by the Univer-sity of Colorado Board of Regents at the CU-Boulder

commencement on Friday, May 7. Fayez helped create a new idea for architecture in developing countries to fuse local cultural and architectural traditions with modern ideas of space and construction. He aided in the creation of Dar Al-Hekma College, one of the first colleges for women in Saudi Arabia. After his education in the U.S., Fayez returned to his homeland to found what is now Saudi Arabia’s largest architecture and engineering firm. For many years he has funded a College of Architecture and Planning scholarship to support international students and is a long-standing member of the college’s ad-visory board.

Tom Powell, MCJ ’81, teaches four classes and supervises 12 adjunct fac-ulty at a state community college in the Phoenix

area. Previously, Powell was with the Colorado Depart-ment of Corrections as ad-ministrative officer to the state director of corrections.

Rocky Piro, MURP ’86, was inducted into the College of Fellows of the American In-stitute of Certified Planners in April 2010. Election to the college is based on signifi-cant contributions to the urban planning profession and society. In February 2010, Piro was part of the 12-member delegation from the U.S. that met with religious lead-

ers in Europe, including Pope Benedict XVI, the archbishop of Canterbury, the ecumenical patriarch of the Orthodox churches, and the general secretary of the World Council of Churches.

Tasleem Qaasim, MA psychology ’87, is the author of Walking Still: Poetic Reflections of Friends, Family, Life and Love. Qaasim is an education professor at Shoreline Com-munity College in Seattle.

Paul Schultz, MCJ ’88, is the director of the Peace Officer Standards and Training program at the Colorado Attorney General’s office. In announcing his appointment, At-torney General John Suthers complimented Schultz for his “wealth of knowledge about law enforcement from his 35 years in the field. He has big shoes to fill, but I am confident he will be a great addition to the office.” Schultz is the former chief of police of Lafayette, Colo.

Cheri Cohn, MPA ’90, is a senior internal auditor for the National Renew-able Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo.

Cindy Wakefield, MA educational psychol-ogy ’97, retired from the Colorado Depart-ment of Education after more than 20 years of service in prevention initiatives. As a principal consultant for expelled and at risk student services, she provided grants and training for schools and staff to recapture thousands of Colorado students who were expelled or who needed skills and support for successful lives. Wakefield continues to pursue her interest in animal assisted living.

James Masias, MPA ’98, was awarded the Far West Bond Deal of the Year by The Bond Buyer Magazine after selling the first qualified school construction bond for the San Diego Unified School District. With three business partners, Masias has formed Newport Energy Limited, a “green” energy management company.

Rebecca Woulfe, MA in-formation and learning tech-nology ’00, is the founder and CEO of Acadium, Inc. As an educational technol-ogy company, the firm has

found ways to harness the power of the cell phone for use in education. The system will bring educational opportunities to under-served individuals in de-veloping countries. It ties together the cell phone and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) solu-tions to create a live, inter-active distance learning environment.

Sarah Fischler, BS busi-ness administration and BA history ’02, MPA ’08, is the director of consulting and special projects for the Community Resource Center, a statewide man-

agement support organization for Colo-rado nonprofits. Fischler is also the board president of the Denver Young Nonprofit Professionals Network.

Mihir Iyer, BA economics ’02, completed his third year at the Department of Veterans Af-fairs, was promoted and became permanent civil service in the Office of Information and Technology. During his assignment, Iyer received over a dozen awards for his superb service to veterans.

Victor Vialpando, BS math ’03, MBA and Bard entrepreneurial certificate ’05, is the dean of art and new media design, com-puter science, and film video technology at the Community College of Aurora in Aurora, Colo.

Linda Hartman, BA communications ’05, was promoted to vice president at Circa 65 LLC in Englewood, Colo. Hartman, an in-dustry veteran of two decades, assumed the new role having served the last three years as a marketing director in Circa 65’s innova-tive DMESM (dedicated marketing expert) service. Previously, she spent 14 years in a variety of sales and marketing management positions for Arrow Electronics, Inc.

Shahnaz Jaffari, MArch ’08, is an as-sociate member of AIA and is LEED AP© accredited. She is sustainability director for the Rocky Mountain Masonry Insti-tute and is one of six winners of the 2010 Sustainability Champion Award from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the Colorado Environmental Partnership, Connected Organizations for a Responsible Economy (CORE), and Colo-radoBiz magazine. Jaffari is currently a PhD candidate in the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Andrew S. Felton, BA communications ’09, completed the U.S. Navy’s eight-week basic training at Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Ill.

Grown locally, competing globally

In memoriam

60s Julian Gelenter, BA history ’69, MPA ’73, died Feb. 3, 2009.

70s James Baker, BS electrical engi-neering ’72, died Nov. 7, 2009.

Theodore Barros, MArch ’72, died Apr. 25, 2010.

Lynn Murphy, MURP ’74, died Apr. 23, 2010.

Jane Hallock, BA history ’77, died July 22, 2009.

David Whitney, BS marketing ’77, died March 4, 2010.

Joel Wexelman, MArch ’78, died Dec. 15, 2009.

80s John Ozzello, MUAF urban affairs ’80, died July 19, 2010.

Anne Chapman, MA anthropology ’81, died April 23, 2009.

Marvin Gentry, BS accounting ’82, died June 16, 2010.

John Rogers, MBA ’84, died July 12, 2010.

Lisa eringen, BA psychology ’87, died Apr. 26, 2010.

Cheryl Nealey, BS personnel/human resources management ’87, died June 23, 2009.

Jim Ruch, MPA ’88, died June 17, 2010.

Gregory Starkebaum, MS civil engi-neering ’89, died May 29, 2009.

90s John Parsons, BS management ’92, died Apr. 6, 2010.

Richard Courchene, BA communication/theatre ’94, died Nov. 16, 2009.

Donald Lowe, BS biology ’96, died Dec. 25, 2009.

Kurt Reed, MS information systems ’98, died Jan. 4, 2010.

00s Amanda Cornstubble, BA psychology ’04, died Jan. 4, 2010.

Nicholas (Nick) L. McAdam, BFA multimedia and BA sculpture ’07, died May 3, 2010.

Charles Schreiber, BS mechanical engineering ’10 (posthumously), died Jan. 25, 2010.

At the 2010 Rock Bottom Ruckus, Dave and Vicky Henry, MS accounting ’92, won the silent auction bid for a private performance of the Michael Collins Pipes and Drum Band. On Friday, Sept. 10, about 50 of their neighbors in Estes Park enjoyed a 45-minute performance by seven pipers and two drummers.

12Non Profit OrganizationUS PostagePAIDPermit #831Denver, CO

University of Colorado DenverOffice of Alumni RelationsCampus Box 189P.O. Box 173364Denver, CO 80217-3364

Reserve Onlinewww.cudenveralumni.com

Make checks payable to: UCD Alumni Association

Submit to:UCD Alumni RelationsCampus Box 189 P.O. Box 173364 Denver, CO 80217-3364

Questions: Phone: 303-315-2333Fax: 303-315-2332 E-mail: UCDalumni@ ucdenver.edu

Our numbers have changed. You can now reach the Office of Alumni Relations at:Phone: 303-315-2333Fax: 303-315-2332E-mail: UCDalumni@ucdenver.eduWeb: www.ucdenver.edu/downtownalumniOnline Community: www.cudenveralumni.com

UPDATE YOUR LITTLE BLACK BOOK

CU family Night at the National Western Stock ShowFriday, January 21, 2011 | 7:30 p.m. | National Western Complex

From barrel racing and steer roping, CU alumni from across the Front Range will have a blast at CU Family Night at the National Western Stock Show. Your $10 ticket provides access to the stock show grounds and the entrance to the rodeo. Check out buffalo and longhorns as you wander through the stockyards, then take a seat to watch cowboys compete for prizes. Don’t miss the Mutton Bustin’ Contest where future rodeo stars are made!

Alumni may enter a relative into the lottery for the Mutton Bustin’ Contest. Children must be 5-7 years old and weigh less than 55 pounds. Call the Office of Alumni Relations, 303-315-2333, by noon Jan. 3, 2011 to register.

RSVP by Jan. 14, 2011

Name __________________________________

Address ________________________________

City/State ______________________________

ZIP _____________________________________

Phone (Day) _____________________________

(Evening) ________________________________

E-Mail __________________________________

Number attending _______ x $10/person = ______

Rock Bottom Ruckus Dinner and Auction Benefiting ScholarshipsSunday, February 20, 2011 | 5:30 p.m.Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, Corner of 16th and Curtis Streets

Spit shine those boots, polish up your spurs and join us for Denver’s finest auction. The attire may be western, but the dinner is gourmet, with our friends from the Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery donating their time, their vittles and every seat in the house so all proceeds benefit Denver Campus scholarships.

RSVP by Feb. 11, 2011

Name ________________________________________________________________________________

Address ______________________________________________________________________________

City/State ____________________________________________________________________________

ZIP ___________________________________________________________________________________

Phone (Day)___________________________________(Evening) ________________________________

E-Mail ________________________________________________________________________________

Cattle Barons ______ x $200/person = _______ Buffalo Riders ______ x $100/person = ______

Chancellor’s Posse ______ x $150/person = _______ Ranch Hands ______ x $75/person = ______

All of your donation, less $28 for dinner and libations, may be tax deductible. The University of Colorado is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Federal tax ID# 84-6000555.

Alumni Career Transitions WorkshopNov. 9, 16, 30 and Dec. 76:30-9:30 p.m.Auraria Campus

$229 per personRegister: www.TurningPoints Research.org